The Honorable Percival

en her on the dock. Not being satisfied, however, she made a tour of the crowded decks, looking into the music room, the writing-room and even the smoking-room, It was not until she went below an

captain, but he was not there. Five interminable minute

d no trace of Bobby and the Englishman found, that Captain Boynton concerned himself. Just what he said need not be chronicled. It was ext

the dictatorial messages tha

ed launch. H

COM

eat for launch.

COM

arted,

COM

railing's were crowded with passengers. Presently a small dark object was visible in the distance, rising and falling unsteadily on the waves

with trailing wreaths of smilax, and about their shoulders were garlands of carnations. It was a stage

n of him. With punctilious formality he handed Bobby on deck, then, with a manner sufficiently forbidding t

the middle of the floor, a bunch of variegated neckties depended from the door-knob, and a stack of American magazines and newspapers lay upon the sofa, Percival stood on the threshold sniffing. There was no mistaking the od

on his side of the room and kept there, and under

Will you dress

dwich and a glass of wine in a secluded corner of the smoking-room, after which he played a few games of solitaire, then betook himself to bed.

t the state-room. After lying in indignant silence for a while behind his drawn curtains, he touch

the steward to

of the curtain, "while you are drawing thing

at the door, and a "Ver

on. When a second tap announced that his bath was ready, he slipped a long robe over his silk pajamas and emerged imperiously fr

greeted him, and his cold eye discerned not a slant-eyed Oriental, but a

ntinued the new-comer-

aware of all that that name stood f

xas Hascombes?" asked the youth, drawing the razor over

ercival. "I'll trouble

was not to be confined to the state-room. The plump, red-headed young man, with the compl

in's right?" he demanded eage

y, painfully aware of the amused gl

d Andy. "I see my

en contributing one or two of his own. Before the meal was over he had informed the whole table that he was on his way to Hong-Kong in the i

d spoken to virtually everybody on board, including the gray-haired old missionary who passed cream-peppermints about the deck at a quarter to ten every morning. He had played quoits with Elise Weston, punched the bag with the college boys, and taught Bobby Boynton to dance the tango. So obnoxious was the sig

y and ungraciously received, and strained relations ensued. Moreover, as he viewed the recent adventure in retrospect, he decided that he had been most negligent in observing those rules by which the conduct of an English gent

ce to him whether she was playing quoits with the Scotchman or bean-bag with Andy Black, and yet not a page of his book would become intelligible until he made a round of the deck to find out what she was doing. The evenings were even worse: midnight often found him wrapp

a wind-shelter on the other side of the deck, contributing some large salt tears to the brine of the ocean. Now, in that circle of society in which it had pleased Providence to place Percival it was considered t

s moved him to sit down beside her, and in the softly modulated tones upon

ed his arrival. She even asked him if he had an extra handkerchief, her own having been redu

silly!" she said fiercely trying to swallow

silly," she said fiercely, trying to swallo

won

if he is my father. Sometim

e was about to ask for further details when the old Peppermint Lady scurried past an

val, shamelessly,

ive in," went on Bobby where she had le

out it if it made me cry," advis

What did he give me to the Fords for if he didn't think they we

asked Percival, g

'll tell you so. He's been a real father to me, and the boys are real brothers-at least three of

and Percival had just succeeded in stemming t

you know we were passing B

ting him safely past. "As a matter of fact, some

pparently oblivious of interruptions, "that I'd come on this trip wi

prehending the drift of her remarks, but pleasantly aware that he was being

n the ranch?" he asked by wa

sent me in to Cheyenne to school. But I'm finished now, and I'm

exciting. How many

cept Piffles. There's Ted, and Dick, and Piffles, a

er blue eyes. They were very long and thick lashes, and as they swept her flushed chee

h her tears. As a rule he disliked dimples, especially the stationary kind. But the one that now occupied, his at

a bit of a sportsman, you know. You mustn't come off by yourself and

perfectly determined I sha'n't do. He didn't bring me on this trip just

make you forget. Deuced interesting! I don't mind telling

interest was r

intance. Bobby's tears had in some unaccountable ma

are sending you off to keep you from

n't put up with that f

But suppose you were a girl, and your father was

you didn't care a tuppeny. Pretend to be awfully keen about something else, an

anning his finely chiseled profile as eagerly

Keep him on tenter

the corner of the saloon, clinging to his cap. "Been looking for

, "it is not because we have failed to be informed of the un

rd stanza," said And

sappeared, and pushed

d; then she added impetuously, "You aren

id Percival, ret

t your walk, and the wa

erstand my figure," said Percival; "

t. And then I never can tell

ow what I'm thinki

es

ar high-heeled, gold-beade

dainty feet and contemp

g with them?

morning, aren't they?

ver know which ones to put on. You see, we never dike up like this on the ranch. When the captain brough

your steamer-coat

h rang out c

e I came on board and saw Elise Weston's. Honest

ly charming in anything you choose to wear. But as a matter of fac

else you'd like?" All trace of tears had van

ival, leaning fo

m started down the stairway above them, paused a moment u

or the tableaux at ten, and it's half-past now. Say, you were a brick to brace me u

ercival, rising, and clas

oy glided up unobserved

come top-side right away.

ding her hand, smil

land!" he mur